His gold medal win over Roger Federer in the Olympic tennis final proves that
Andy Murray is not a Brit to give up on. A share of the credit should go to
his ferociously hard-working team.

Ireland, described by many as “the greatest physio in the world bar none”, graduated with a BSc in Physiotherapy from Teeside University before starting work for the NHS. He then moved to the Surrey Physio clinic in May 2000, and works alongside Murray’s fitness coaches to maximise his physical performance. He is an advocate of ice-baths to ease the muscles and his skills in acupuncture have earned him the nickname ‘Needles’.

Head Coach: Ivan Lendl

A former Wimbledon Champion, Lendl joined Team Murray in 2011 taking over from Miles Maclagan. Having won eight grand-slam titles himself, it’s been suggested the Czech coach was intrigued by Murray’s failure to win such a title. Some claim that Lendl’s notoriously tough techniques have made Murray a more resilient player.

Vallverdu, a 26-year-old Venezuelan tennis player, has been part of Team Murray since 2010. The long-term friends met at the Sanchez-Casual Tennis Academy in Barcelona as juniors, and were partners in the doubles tournament at the 2008 Queen’s Club Championships. He has been called Murray’s ‘assistant coach’ and guided him through much of the 2011 Australian Open.

Management: Louise Irving

In 2008, Murray joined XIX Entertainment – the company that also handles David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton. As the tennis star earns millions of pounds a year through sponsorship deals and winnings, Irving, 34, his account manager, is kept busy managing his PR, promotion and management.

Web Manager: Rob Stewart

Stewart, 35, is the manager and creator of andymurray.com, the tennis player’s official website, which includes a blog, interviews, photos and links to Murray’s Facebook page as well as those of his sponsors. Stewart is credited with making the player more accessible to the public and encouraging his fan base with frequent updates on the site.